Senior BJP leader Vasudev Devnani was on Thursday unanimously elected as speaker of the 16th Rajasthan Legislative Assembly.

The House passed the proposal by voice vote to elect Devnani, who becomes the 18th Speaker of the assembly.

After being elected, Devnani said he will always strive to maintain the dignity and traditions of the House.

Protem Speaker Kalicharan Saraf requested Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to move a proposal to elect Devnani as speaker. Congress leader Sachin Pilot seconded the proposal.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot was also asked to approve the proposal. However, he was not present in the House.

Gehlot's predecessor Vasundhara Raje's proposal to elect Devnani as speaker was seconded by Bharat Adivasi Party MLA Rajkumar Roat.

Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari's proposal was seconded by Independent MLA Chandrabhan Singh. Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MLA Hanuman Beniwal's proposal was seconded by Dr Subhash Garg of the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

After the other members approved, the House passed the proposal to elect Devnani.

Sharma, Raje, Pilot, the Congress' state unit chief Govind Singh Dotasara and other leaders accompanied Devnani to the speaker's chair after his election.

The MLAs also congratulated Devnani on his election as speaker.

Expressing his gratitude, Devnani said the House has great traditions and he will strive to maintain its honour and traditions and make efforts to ensure maximum meetings and meaningful debates.

Devnani, a former minister, also assured the House of maintaining the dignity and impartiality of the speaker's post.

He expressed hope that all members will enrich the traditions by following the rules and called upon them to study the procedures.

He also announced that the House will next meet on January 19.

Devnani, who won the recent assembly elections from Ajmer (North), hails from the Sindhi community. A five-time MLA, he is an engineering graduate. Before entering politics, he taught at the Government Polytechnic College, Udaipur.

The BJP has 115 MLAs in the 200-member House, the Congress 69, Bharat Adivasi Party three, Bahujan Samaj Party two, and the Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party one each. Eight Independent members were also elected while one seat remains vacant.

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